User:Ankylosaur Enthusiast/sandbox2

Ankylosaur Enthusiast/sandbox2 Temporal range: early Miocene,
Upper jaw fragment (QMF 30300)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Infraclass:	Marsupialia
Order:	Dasyuromorphia
Family:	†Thylacinidae
Genus:	†Ngamalacinus
Species:	†N. timmulvaneyi
Binomial name
†Ngamalacinus timmulvaneyi Muirhead, 1997

History and naming

The holotype specimen (QMF16853) of Ngamalacinus was collected from the early Miocene 'Inabeyance site' at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area, northwestern Queensland. It consists of a right dentary preserving all four molars. It represents a juvenile individual based on a partially erupted fourth molar. A left maxilla (QMF30300) referable to Ngamalacinus is also known from the type locality, while a right third premolar (QMF16855) is known from the 'Camel Sputum Site'. The 'Camel Sputum site' has been radiometrically dated to ~18.5–17.0 Ma, while biocorrelation suggests that the 'Inabeyance site' has an age of ~18.5–16.2 Ma.

In 1997, palaeontologist Jeanette Muirhead described Ngamalacinus timmulvaneyi as a new genus and species of thylacinid based on these fossil remains. The genus name combines the Wanyii word ‘Ngamala’ (died out) and the ancient Greek stem word ‘-kynos' (dog). The species name honours Tim Mulvaney, for their long time support of research at Riversleigh.

Description

elatively reduced conules and stylar shelf; retention of small stylar cusps B and D; narrower angle of maxillary molar cristae, less anteroposterior molar elongation, and less reduced talon basin than more derived thylacinids; retention of hypoconulid, entoconid, and relatively large metaconid (larger than paraconid) with distinct metacristid.

Ngamalacinus was a small thylacinid, with an estimated weight of 5.7-8.4 kg (12.6-18.5 lbs).

Classification

	Thylacinidae Badjcinus turnbulli Nimbacinus dicksoni Muribacinus gadiyuli Ngamalacinus timmulvaneyi Tyarrpecinus rothi Wabulacinus ridei Thylacinus Thylacinus macknessi Thylacinus potens Thylacinus megiriani Thylacinus yorkellus Thylacinus cynocephalus

Paleobiology

Unspecialised faunivore, restricted to feeding on invertebrate and small vertebrates. Based on the lack of characteristics shared with either insectivorous or hypercarnivorous dasyurids.